The Role Of Employees Fitness In Making The Workplace Better

Most of us work because we have to make a living somehow. We get employment in various jobs. Some of us work indoors; some of us work out of doors. Mostly you can find nine to five timing. Then there are daytime jobs and also nighttime. Irrespective of the job conditions and timing it is an accepted fact that the health of the employee is very important factor.

The big question arises, is it cost effective?

An example is the multinational Amway, which employs 3900 locals. According to this company it gets back two dollars for every dollar spent on employee's health. What is the justification for this? One visible result was that the medical claim of the persons who took part in the fitness program went down by 8 percent. Some have lost weight. One woman who works for Amway lost 85 pounds in 18 months. This has given her an abundance of energy which naturally had reflected in quality work and increased production for the company. Most companies agree that it takes up to three years to realize cost savings from a program that employees undertake. They say it takes time for employees to learn new behaviors.

It is also come to notice that the health expenditure of those employees who do not take part in such fitness program rose up to 23 percent.

Another company, Flexco, located in Illinois, has established a program to encourage employees to eat better and exercise. Because the program was so successful, this Grand Rapids company was able to move to a high-deductible health program cutting annual premium costs by $100,000. That definitely affects the bottom line. Furthermore, such companies are even willing to spend for the employees

One unique aspect of the program is that employees can earn wellness points. This will help them reduce their expenditure on health costs by about 850 dollars. This is an important insensitive in getting employees to buy in to the program. It also helps that the employee is volunteering to get in the program rather than being forced to get in.

This program can be incorporated in the overall strategy of the firm. This would benefit the company in many ways. It would help the company to attain its overall business goals, if its employees are willing to stay healthy and active. This makes for a better working environment overall.

One employee was unhappy because he had to get a physical until the doctor discovered a serious problem and was able to correct it before it got worse.

These two examples show that it makes a lot of sense to encourage employees to stay healthy, whether you do it through the company or you encourage them to do it on their own. Some companies even offer free membership to their employees in fitness centers and health groups. The examples shows that you can significantly lower the bottom line when you have healthier employees. This makes for a better workplace.